Finally Wearing that Bodycon.... with the right shape wear!

So here is the thing, I never wear fitted dresses. I need room to breathe, and eat, and sit down and stand up and lay down. I have no time to adjust my belly area when I sneeze, and I surely do not have the emotional capacity to hold my tummy in when my crush walks by (which is everyday...but I will tell you about him another time).

You are probably wondering why I just don't wear shape wear...um because I mentioned that I wanted to breathe. A lot of shape wear I have tried has actually left me gasping for air and looking more like a stuffed turkey on thanksgiving.

But my darlings, in the photo above I AM BREATHING.

I found this AMAZING print Ralph Lauren dress as part of Nordstrom's Encore plus size offering, and I knew I wanted it. The print was amazing, the cut was everything (very DVF). But I clicked away because of the tummy factor! After some mental back and forth, I convinced myself to get it!

Right before the shoot I actually debated whether or not I wanted to wear my oxygen needing spanx, but decided against it. Then, I actually remembered that a brand named Hooked Shapewear had sent me a piece a few months back. I initially heard about them from fellow blogger GarnerStyle, but had never tried them.

So maybe it is safe to say I have finally found some shape wear that I can wear that doesn't drive me nuts. In the above shot,I am wearing one of their short style full body pieces (because it is summer and my thighs rub). What was extra cool was that there is a super cool hook system that lets me clip the top of my shape wear to my bra so it doesn't keep slipping when I twirl. The only sad part was that I lost the clips the next day....but I have worn this without them and it really still stays up.

Oh and I forgot to add that I didn't need to jump up and down to get it on...or take it off (incase my crush is wondering).

Style Notes:

Dress - I LOVE this dress. It has some stretch in it and is a really really comfy fabric. I am wearing a 16W which is true to my size. ( I am also 5 ft 10 for those wondering about dress length).

Shape wear - I linked the piece I had on below, I opted for a 2x in the style and it fit comfortably.